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Heat Costs a Big Chill for Elderly
By Kevin Haggerty, The Time Tribune
September 4, 2005
Amid the warmest summer recorded in Northeastern Pennsylvania, most of us are not thinking about our heating cost come winter.
Yet as the autumn approaches, and holiday cheer turns into the frost-filled days of winter, our seniors living in Lackawanna County and beyond are petrified of the outrageous oil and gas prices.
Why are they so afraid? Simply put, because they cannot afford the price of oil on fixed incomes and because of it, some will face extreme financial and potentially health-related circumstances.
Who better to bring attention to this subject than the owner and proprietor of a gas station? Gary Bewick of Dunmore understands the outrageous cost of gas and oil more than anyone. He and his family own and operate a vibrant service station on Drinker Street and depend on a fluid customer base, but Gary wasn't complaining about gas prices recently when I pulled up to fill my tank. In fact his attention and concerns were about our senior citizens not being able to afford heat this winter.
Largely silent crisis
The fuel issue in this country is becoming an epidemic, but unlike most of our gripes with the price of gas and oil, our seniors cannot always speak up for themselves.
"Let's make it very clear," said Doris Babtist, a retired preschool teacher of 29 years. "There are programs out there helping us manage our fuel bills, but not everyone is aware of these agencies."
Imagine if you were sitting in your house at 85, flipping through bills and wondering whether you should use your Social Security check for your prescription drugs or to heat your house. At 85, you are also told that the taxes assessed to your property are being hiked by 48 percent, because your elected officials forgot to take into account that senior citizens live primarily on fixed incomes.
As a society we are not providing enough comfort for our aging. They built and paved the way for our generation, but today we are not holding up our end of the bargain. Generations past gave us our future, through military service, hard work and an overall resolve to continue making this nation a better place to live. Today, some of our seniors who fought for this country and made Scranton a safe, caring community won't be able to afford heat, prescription drugs and day-to-day management of their lives. Programs exist, but they are not good enough.
The situation is not up for debate. Our leaders have been careless, so that the most vulnerable - the aging and sick - are paying the ultimate price.
We have four months to prepare for the coldest days of winter. Who is going to stand up and discuss these matters before we lose members of our community because of political unrest on national and local levels?
An anonymous senior at the South Side Senior Center has lived in Scranton her entire life. She explains: "the cost of heating my house has taken first priority during the winter months, forcing me to cut back on shopping, medications and whatever else comes second to staying warm. This winter is going to force me to take out loans or borrow money from my children so that I can afford the high gas and oil prices coming our way because I don't always qualify for rebates. I am independent for the most part, but now for the first time in my life, I have to ask for help from my children."
Talk to parents, loved ones
If you have a parent, grandparent or neighbor who might be affected by heating cost this winter, discuss these issues with them immediately. One of our biggest problems is that we don't use vision to correct the future. If we had a choice whether to help one of our seniors stay alive during the winter or prevent them from getting sick, the answer is obvious. We have a choice, but instead of creating stronger, more affordable plans that allow the elderly to enjoy life, we ask them to take on part-time jobs at minimum wage to afford programs like PaceNet and other prescription coverage?
These problems have solutions. Anyone concerned about this should contact the Center for Social Justice at Lackawanna College by calling 335-7167. The strength of any community begins with the willing individual who is ready to treat all mankind with equality, to preserve and enlighten mankind's virtues while providing compassion in the form of education and dignity. Help us bring attention to these issues along with dignity to the lives of every senior citizen that needs our help.
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